Dinosaur Jr. Offer a Touch of the Familiar on ‘Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not’

Stephanie Hernandez

A staple in the alt-rock scene since their 1984 start, Dinosaur Jr’s blend of distortion and feedback, matched with lead singer J Mascis’s drawling vocals, has been an instantly recognizable recipe for success for decades. Their first LP since 2012’s, “I Bet on Sky”, the ironically-titled “Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not” is the eleven track fuzzed out rock machine fans have come to expect and salivate over. The sound is completely formulaic, but as AC/DC’s Angus Young said, “I’m sick to death of people saying we’ve made 11 albums that sounds exactly the same, In fact, we’ve made 12 albums that sound exactly the same,” And honestly, there is some dignity in that. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it and Dinosaur Jr. is definitely not out to fix a thing.  

Highly influential in 1990’s alternative rock, Dinosaur Jr. classic sound has captivated millions of listeners for years. There is something so wonderfully familiar about J. Mascis’s guitar tone, his uncontrived songwriting and  the way their rhythm section always seems hits you at the bone. “Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not” does not bother to steer away from the blueprint; the standout track here comes is opener “Goin’ Down,” with power chords galore, a powerhouse chorus and an equal parts unusual and awesome sitar solo to round it out. Fans of the trio will feel sonically satisfied, even if the remaining ten tracks fail to produce any new surprises.  In other words, “Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not” is about two things; cranking your stereo up full blast and enjoying the instant head rush that comes when hard rock guitar riffs meet a pounding rhythm section.

Dinosaur Jr. knows what fans want and is willing to give it to them hard and fast every time. Yes, this results in records that sound familiar each time around. But do you care? No. Dinosaur Jr. have basically given the finger to creating anything different from what they’ve mastered and you’ve got to commend them for that level of badassery. Times and tastes change, but honestly, sometimes it’s good to know that through it all Dinosaur Jr. will remain a constant and decibel breaking presence in our lives. Rock on brothers.

“Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not” releases on Apple Music Aug. 5.